Maternal rearing behaviors were examined in relation to two kinds of moral behaviors manifested by children in the face of someone's emotional distress: (1) reparations to victims whose distress they had caused, and (2) altruistic responses to someone's distress that they had witnessed as bystanders were the focus of the study. Mothers provided systematic reporting of naturalistic and staged emotional incidents. Also, mother-child interaction was rated in periodic home visits by investigators. Data were collected over a nine month period. Mothers used a variety of emotional communications and teaching techniques when their children caused distress to someone. Mothers' use of emotionally administered explanations was positively associated with children's reparative behavior. The use of such communications was also significantly related to children's altruism when they were bystanders to another's distress. Empathic caregiving by mothers was positively related to children's altruism. Some differences in mothers' practices with boys and girls were evident (although no differences were apparent in the behaviors of boys and girls). Findings on relations between mother and child behaviors are considered in terms of theories regarding origins of altruism and conscience.